Do folks mess up your name?
What's in a name?
I think the thing that is most frustrating in communicating with someone is when you mess up their name. Folks don't mind too much of you mess up the town they live in or the name of their car, the school they went to, but their name is personal and I think folks feel like you are messing with them when you mispronounce or misspell their name.
Now my given name is Joanne. Not very unusual, but I guess the way I pronounce it over the phone with my accent made it sound like something else. I would often have to say it three times and then get, "Oh hello Jillian!" UGH!
And don't get me started on how to spell it! I'd get Joanne, Jo Anne, Jo Ann, Joann, Johanne, Johanna, Joan and Jillian! LOL Then I got married and my last name became Tabares. Took ME six months to learn to pronounce it right! Tabaras, Tobarus, Tobarez...ROFL
So when I started my business, I began to refer to myself by my nickname I had since I was a wee tot (Yes! Even smaller than I am now!). Joanne was my given name, but I gave it back! Started using JoJo and you know what? Everyone could pronounce it and EVERYONE could even spell it! A 20 minute conversation were 15 minutes was spent explaining my first name became an efficient and succinct 5 minute call!
Do you have an unusual name? Do folks mispronounce it or misspell it all the time? What do you do about it? Leave a comment and share!
JoJo (Alias Joanne, Johanna, Joan, Mom, Mrs. Tabares... and Jillian!)
Art of Elephants Eloquence!
19 comments
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I promise NOT to call you Joanne :) That’s my cousin’s name – and she never had a nickname so she is still Joanne to this day!
My maiden name was Swaffield – and you can just imagine! Not too much trouble with Holman – although the teckies with thick accents like to say Hall – a – mun. Very annoying!!! -
I’m LOVING these stories…friend has a last name of ‘Delagardelle’ and she received mail for ‘Delagorilla’…LOL
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My first name is Paula, but for some reason, when I tell people my name on the phone, they think I’m saying Carla.
My married last name is Brazzell and most people (including me when I first met my husband) want to put the emphasis on the last syllable, but it is really on the first syllable. As my husband told me, just remember “razzle dazzle Brazzell”. I also have to tell people “two z’s, two l’s” when they are trying to spell it. It gets misspelled most of the time, even by people who have known me a long time!
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My married name has been Buettner for the past 11 years. When I know someone is writing it down I automatically spell it out. The most common mispronounciation is “Buttner”, which is also the most common misspelling, despite us spelling it out constantly. Are there any instances in the English language where the “ue” is pronounced “uh”, not “yoo” or “oo”? I’m not aware of any. That’s what happens when phonics are not taught! Only our library’s automated phone reminder system “Mr Roboto”, pronounces it “Bootner”. The German pronounciation is “Bittner” and living in an area with lots of German lineage, some people actually pronounce it that way, and I don’t correct them. And we never get anything misspelled that way. Most of my husband’s immediate family pronounces it that way, but he, being the rebel, chose the “Byoottner” version for himself. Once in a while we hear “Bwetner”- again, when is “ue” ever pronounced “weh”? We also get these for misspellings – “Butner” “Buetner” “Buether”
Fortunately, Lisa was one of the most common names in the decade I was born, and there are tons of us around so it is rarely misspelled. My husband’s name, Thomas is also so common that it is rarely misspelled, but would you believe it was misspelled on our wedding program? Has anyone else ever told a telemarketer who mispronounced their name that no one by that name lives here? Works like a charm. ;-) -
Oh I am laughing with you all as you share your stories that all sound so familiar! Thanks for taking the time to share them here.
In case anyone is wondering about Art of Elephants. This came from a customer’s young dd who was referring to my company and mistakenly called us Art of Elephants. I think I had a residual smile of my face from that for about a year! ROFLOL